Being Mindful, Being Christian

Joanna Collicutt

Description

What is mindfulness? And should we as Christians be mindful? Mindfulness programmes are increasingly being used for issues as wide-ranging as depression, pain, employee engagement, and character development, and many Christians are wondering what to make of all this. In this book, experienced psychologists explain what is meant by "being mindful", help readers to view mindfulness more broadly than the context of Buddhism in which it is often framed, and profile the rich Christian tradition of mindful-like practice. By bringing a Christ-centred approach to mindful awareness, the authors demonstrate how to apply this practice to discipleship and spiritual growth. Readers are equipped to decide the extent to which they wish to learn and practice mindfulness, to approach it without fear, and to draw on the good within it to develop their relationship with Jesus.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: Lion Hudson
• Date de parution: 18 novembre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780857217868
• Langue: English

Extrait

This is a timely book for busy people. Being Mindful, Being Christian offers biblical hope and spiritual health to those who find themselves seeking greater stillness amidst the hysteria of contemporary life.
- Pete Greig, 24-7 Prayer
Mindfulness is everywhere. For the Christian not quite sure what to make of it, this book is a real gift, combining theology and psychology to show how a distinctively Christian mindfulness can help us become better disciples of Jesus Christ.
- The Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin, The Bishop of Kensington and President, St Mellitus College
This very readable book takes the concepts underlying mindfulness and opens them up, considering them particularly from a Christian perspective. Whether you are new to the subject or expanding your existing knowledge, you will not find a more thorough analysis of the many issues that this subject brings up.
- Dr Kate Middleton, psychologist, church leader, and director of Mind & Soul
This book breaks down barriers. To be Christian IS to be mindful - at least if you are a serious thinker and serious about your faith. To not be mindful in our faith is to assume, to suppress doubt, to walk too fast. Mindfulness, the daily practice of being mindful, is therefore also Christian - it is not the prerogative of another faith or a contract mindset, as this book clearly explains.
- Dr Rob Waller, Consultant Psychiatrist in New Zealand and Director of the Mind and Soul Foundation
From my clinical experience, I know that the practice of mindfulness has proved beneficial for many of my clients. I therefore intended to read the book in order to discover more about mindfulness. I confess to being somewhat surprised to find that not only did I learn more, but I found God speaking quite powerfully to me over a personal crisis I was facing in my own life and I found the insights profoundly helpful. I thoroughly recommend this book. The authors have done a superb job in clearly explaining mindfulness and demonstrating how mindfulness is compatible in many ways with Christian prayer and contemplative practice.
- Heather Churchill, Reg MBACP (senior accredited), Head of Faculty, Waverley Abbey College (CWR)
Being Mindful, Being Christian
A guide to mindful discipleship
Dr Roger Bretherton Revd Dr Joanna Collicutt Dr Jennifer Brickman

Oxford, UK, and Grand Rapids, USA
Text copyright 2016 Roger Bretherton, Joanna Collicutt, and Jennifer Brickman This edition copyright 2016 Lion Hudson
The right of Roger Bretherton, Joanna Collicutt, and Jennifer Brickman to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Monarch Books an imprint of Lion Hudson plc Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England Email: [e-mail] www.lionhudson.com/monarch
ISBN 978 0 85721 729 5 e-ISBN 978 0 85721 786 8
First edition 2016
Acknowledgments Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised. Copyright 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. NIV is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.
Scripture quotations marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All right reserved.
Scripture quotations marked KJV taken from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches in the USA. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Contents

Acknowledgments

Editors

Contributors

Mindfulness: What s All the Fuss About?

Being Mindful

The Mindful God

The Mindful Person

The Mindful Christian

Being Christian
Compassion

Turning to the Compassionate God

Courage
Turning Inward with Eyes to See
Turning Towards Pain and Need

Curiosity
Mindful Bible Reading
Mindful Reflection

Character

Mindfulness and Christian Character

Mindful Gratitude

Mindful Wisdom

The Mindful Organization

Epilogue

References

Notes
Acknowledgments

They say it takes a village to raise a child. It also appears to take a village, or at least a small army of people, to produce a book. In our case, this book emerged from a series of conversations, correspondences, and conferences concerning the role of mindfulness in the Christian life. We have no doubt left someone off this list, but in addition to the other contributors to this book, we would like to offer thanks to Richard Adeniran, Brendan Callaghan, Tara Cutland Green, Tim Devine, Richard Johnston, Debbi Malki, Toni Suffolk, and Margaret Whitelaw. We owe the membership of the British Association of Christians in Psychology (BACiP) a debt of gratitude for keeping the conversation on mindfulness energetic and alive. And special thanks particularly are due to Helen Scott, the unflagging administrator of BACiP without whose support very little of this would have been possible. We would also like to thank Jenny Muscat, Drew Stanley, and the team at Monarch for their help and editorial input. Thanks are due also to those who shared their stories and experiences of mindfulness with the contributors. All names are pseudonyms throughout.
Editors

Dr Roger Bretherton is a Clinical Psychologist and Principal Lecturer for Enterprise in the School of Psychology at the University of Lincoln. He has training and years of experience in various psychological therapies that emphasize mindfulness. He is currently chair of BACiP (the British Association of Christians in Psychology) and sits on the board of the Fusion national student network. He speaks regularly in churches and conferences, and works in consultancy with a variety of commercial and public sector organizations. His short book, The God Lab: 8 Spiritual Experiments You Can Try at Home , is an experiential guide to the Beatitudes in Matthew s Gospel.
Revd Canon Dr Joanna Collicutt is the Karl Jaspers Lecturer in Psychology and Spirituality at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, a theological college that trains men and women for ministry in the Church of England. She worked for many years as a clinical psychologist in the National Health Service before becoming an academic psychologist of religion. She is the author of several books on the interface between psychology and the Christian faith including Self-esteem: The Cross and Christian Confidence ; Meeting Jesus ; The Dawkins Delusion? ; and The Psychology of Christian Character Formation.
Dr Jennifer Brickman is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist. She worked in the NHS for many years as a therapist and supervisor. She now works in private practice providing psychological support to Christians in ministry. She and her husband Mark, an Associate Minister at St Aldates Church in Oxford, have developed The Encounter Course. This integrates insights from mindfulness, compassion research, and cognitive therapy with biblical narratives to help participants grow in emotional and spiritual health.
Contributors

Dr Tanya Arroba
Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Visiting Fellow at Cranfield University School of Management.
Chapter: The Mindful Organization
Dr Roger Bretherton
Chartered Clinical Psychologist and Principal Lecturer in the University of Lincoln School of Psychology.
Chapters: What s All the Fuss About?; Mindful Bible Reading; Mindfulness and Christian Character; Mindful Gratitude; Mindful Wisdom; The Mindful Organization
Dr Jennifer Brickman
Chartered Clinical Psychologist.
Chapters: The Mindful Person; Turning to the Compassionate God; Turning Inward with Eyes to See
Revd Canon Dr Joanna Collicutt
Karl Jaspers Lecturer in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality at Ripon College, Cuddesdon and Fellow in Psychology of Religion at Harris Manchester College, Oxford.
Chapters: The Mindful God; The Mindful Person; The Mindful Christian; Turning Inwards with Eyes to See; Mindful Bible Reading
Revd Dr Araminta Hull
Clinical Psychologist, Anglican Priest, and Advisor on Spiritual Direction.
Chapter: Mindful Reflection
Dr Nimmi Hutnik
Chartered Counselling Psychologist and Associate Professor at London South Bank University School of Health and Social Care.
Chapter: The Mindful Person
Revd Shaun Lambert
Minister at Stanmore Baptist Church, Mindfulness Scholar, and Accredited Psychotherapist.
Chapter: Turning Towards Pain and Need
Dr Claire Roberts
Chartered Clinical Psychologist and Pain Specialist.
Chapters: Turning Inward with Eyes to See; Turning Towards Pain and Need
Professor Michael Wang
Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology and former DClinPsy Course Director at the University of Leicester.
Chapter: The Mindful Person
Dr Bonnie Poon Zahl
Academic Specializing in Psychology of Religion, University of Oxford.
Chapter: Turning to the Compassionate God
Mindfulness: What s All the Fuss About?

Mindfulness is everywhere
Wherever I go, people are talking about mindfulness.
Mindfulness is big. Hardly a day goes by without a newspaper or a TV programme or a Twitter account expoun